Upstaging God

by Pelle Karlsson

In Upstaging God , Pelle Karlsson takes a painfully honest look at the "show off mentality" that's pulsating through many parts of the Church today. Dispelling the view that numbers and statistics are... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849939550
• ISBN13: 9780849939556
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 144 Pages

Customer Reviews

A Much needed book

I stumbled across this book in the bookstore, the title caught my eye, I read a page or two and that was enough. Well I am glad I bought it, it address issues such as using statistics to measure a church's success. We hear, how many got saved, how much money was raised how many attened, like this matters to God, who is only interested in quality. The author argues that there is only one ministry, the ministry of Jesus and all belivers are a part of this. Jesus used the lower numbers next to 1 and 2 to assure us of his presence. Somehow the church thinks, the better the music, preacher, the more success it is for God. This book does a good job of stating some simple truths that God does not need us to make the best programs and get the most famous musicians, rather we ALL need to humble ourselves at his feet and give everything to him. One example in the book that stood out was this, say there is a church service advertised as "a worship service" and 100 people turn up. The following week it has this week special guest "christian musician xxx" suddenly the numbers triple... Sadly the people have gathered in the name of the band, not the name of Jesus. The fact that there is a service where we can worship God, the maker of everything, should make us shudder and shake, that he is even mindful of us. The church should and does have talented speakers & preachers and musicians, he addresses this, the problem is when people focus on these gifts like we are doing God a service. This book should be read by all church leaders and christians.